Revisit Bijou Phillips' Letter in Support of Danny Masterson Pre-Split
Bijou Phillips’ letter of support for estranged husband Danny Masterson — which she wrote during his rape trial — is raising more eyebrows now that she’s filed for divorce.
Masterson, who married Phillips in October 2011, was convicted of two counts of rape in May for crimes he committed two decades prior. While the jury didn’t reach a verdict on the third rape allegation, Masterson, 47, was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on September 7.
Masterson has maintained his innocence throughout the case — and Phillips, 43, has been by his side every step the way. In fact, Phillips was one of many character witnesses who penned a letter to the judge in hopes of lessening Masterson’s jail time. “I can say that Danny has literally been a life-saving partner to me,” she wrote in the message obtained by The Underground Bunker.
Danny Masterson and Bijou Phillips: A Timeline of Their Relationship
Danny Masterson and wife Bijou Phillips wed in 2006 after meeting at a celebrity poker tournament two years prior. In March 2017, Masterson — who welcomed daughter Fianna with Phillips in 2014 — was accused of sexual assault in the early 2000s by multiple women. As a result, he was written off from Netflix’s The […]
Phillips proceeded to look back on the early days of her marriage to Masterson and their partnership raising their daughter, Fianna, who was born in February 2014.
“I depended on Danny to take care of me and our daughter. I always felt that she would be OK because Danny is an amazing father,” she explained. “He was devoted to our daughter, would read her books, take her on walks and to ballet lessons. I never once heard him complain. The two were inseparable.”
Phillips noted that even after Masterson was accused of sexual abuse back in 2017 — and subsequently fired from The Ranch — he “devoted himself to finding other ways to earn a living.”
Danny Masterson’s Sexual Assault Allegations and Trial: What to Know
Danny Masterson made headlines in 2017 when he was first accused of sexual assault. He has since pleaded not guilty after being charged in June 2020 with allegedly raping three women. Four women claimed in March 2017 that the That ‘70s Show alum sexually assaulted them in the early 2000s. A fifth woman came forward […]
She revealed that once the trio moved to a farm in Santa Ynez, California, Masterson “toiled long days on the land to make it profitable for our family.”
Phillips praised her spouse for “always” being “against drugs” and helping “so many friends and colleagues get sober.” She noted that Masterson “never wavered” on his stance against substance abuse and “tried to shield the younger actors he worked with from such temptations and offered them advice on their careers and in their lives.”
In addition to helping his coworkers, Phillips called Masterson “an amazing father,” confessing that both she and their daughter were “heartbroken” that he was “not home” with them.
“It has been very difficult without him here. Even though he is now in jail, he calls her every day. He helps her with homework every night. He teaches her math with kindness and patience,” Phillips wrote. “She is far above grade level in all subjects, reading three grades above her own, and that is thanks to the guidance and attention of her father. Danny has watched her piano recitals and applauds when she practices in the living room after each song.”
Phillips concluded: “We need him more than you can imagine. I know he has been convicted of serious crimes. But the man I married has only been an extraordinary husband to me and a devoted father to our daughter.”
Danny Masterson’s Family Tree: Siblings, In-Laws, Wife and More
Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison in September 2023 after being found guilty on two counts of forcible rape that May. Ahead of his sentencing, several people close to the actor, including his wife, Bijou Phillips, penned letters to Judge Charlaine Olmedo advocating for Masterson’s character. In her letter, Phillips […]
Despite expressing a desire for Masterson to come home, Phillips jumped ship once he was sentenced to three decades in prison for his crimes. Us Weekly confirmed on Tuesday, September 19, that Phillips filed for divorce after nearly 12 years of marriage.
Masterson, meanwhile, plans to appeal his sentence, according to his attorney Shawn Holley. “The errors which occurred in this case are substantial and unfortunately, led to verdicts which are not supported by the evidence,” Holley claimed to reporters earlier this month. “And though we have great respect for the jury in this case and for our system of justice overall, sometimes they get it wrong. And that’s what happened here.”
However, the chances that Masterson will be able to win his appeal is highly unlikely. “[Danny’s] attorney said that he didn’t do it, but you generally can’t appeal a jury verdict when it’s a question of fact,” attorney Neama Rahmani, who is not involved in Masterson’s case, exclusively told Us in September. “So, [does the jury] believe Danny Masterson [or] do they believe the victims? And in this particular case, they believe two of the victims.”
